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The right-hander won two career singles titles (Houston, 1986 and Sydney, 1988), as well as eight doubles titles. He reached his highest singles ATP ranking on October 26, 1987, when he became World No. 19.

Živojinović's most notable Grand Slam results were two semifinals. As an unseeded player at the 1985Australian Open, he memorably beat John McEnroe in a grueling 5-set quarterfinal to reach the semi-finals (where he lost in straight sets to Mats Wilander). The next year, at the 1986Wimbledon semifinal, again as an unseeded player, he lost to Ivan Lendl in a hard-fought five-set match.

Over the course of his career, Živojinović amassed an overall singles record of 150 wins and 138 defeats. He was much more successful in doubles competition, winning the U.S. Open in 1986 with Andrés Gómez. That same year, he won three more tournaments. He was ranked as the No. 1 doubles player in the world on September 8, 1986.

Živojinović was engaged to Zorica Desnica with whom he has a son Filip. The couple broke up before getting to the altar.

In 1991, Živojinović married popular Yugoslav folk singer Fahreta Jahić known as Lepa Brena.

Though undeniably well known for his tennis, Živojinović's media prominence, especially in the years since his retirement, also owes a lot to his marriage to Lepa Brena, Yugoslavia's biggest commercial folk singing star ever. Their wedding on December 7, 1991 was a supreme media event throughout the then still existing Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia. The lavish ceremony took place at Belgrade's InterContinental Hotel with Ion Ţiriac as the groom's best man. The level of interest in the event was such that Brena's manager Raka Đokić even released a VHS tape of the wedding for commercial exploitation.[1] Their very public relationship has been providing steady fodder for various yellow media publications ever since.

The couple have two sons — Stefan (born in New York City in May 1992) and Viktor. In the afternoon hours of Thursday, November 23, 2000, 8-year-old Stefan was kidnapped by members of Zemun mafia clan and returned on Tuesday five days later on the side of Belgrade–Niš highway for the ransom sum reported to be more than DM 2 million.[2]

Throughout 2005 and 2006 there were numerous tabloid reports about Živojinović's supposed infidelity and bad state of his marriage. Finally, in April 2006 he reportedly even moved out of the family home following yet another argument with Brena.[3] Though the reports of a separation were frequent and detailed,[4] the couple are still together.